Clive Bibby: It is the common man who will save us from ourselves

While world governments and financial institutions go Woke and Broke, we are left to try and make some sense out of what is left.

Are we heading for a world-wide recession that is a result of incompetent management by those in whom we have placed our trust? It would seem that the likelihood is real.

Who then can we turn to in a crisis where the bulk of the world population are innocent bystanders but will be amongst the first casualties of the pursuit of policies that wouldn’t be tolerated in a kindergarten seeking the advice of four-year-olds?

It is madness that should be front page in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not”.

As an old timer who has seen much of it all before, it is easy to note the main players in this charade. Yet we seem to be dragged through this mess on a more regular basis these days as the world governments dismiss their constituents as having little ability to help right the sinking ship.

Us common folk are being told that our leaders are working on a plan that will involve pain for most but it will all be worth it in the long run.

Worth it for whom?

How can we succeed as a sovereign nation if the policies our governments are adopting have already failed repeatedly yet we are being forced back to them like a dog returning to its vomit.

Others more intellectually capable than me have described the reason for these failures as “doing the same things repeatedly and expecting a different result”.

For what it is worth, l offer a solution which is based not on ideological twaddle or politically driven objectives but more on a recognition of those who continue to front even when they have exhausted all their own limited resources.

We are talking about the common “Joe Blow” worker who arrives for work on time each day, come rain, hail or snow and is there until “knock off” time after putting in a solid day’s work. More often than not he or she will be working overtime just to complete their specific tasks that can’t wait until tomorrow. Their professional skills are on show every minute of the day.

If you take the time to observe them carrying out their duties at the coalface, it is like watching poetry in motion. Our future should be in their hands.

And when you get to talk to them, it may surprise you just how informed they are about the real world and what is needed in order to fix it. Yet their opinions are ignored in favour of those who are personally benefitting from the proven disastrous policies of the past.

Here is a microcosmic glance at what might happen if we were to take note of what these hitherto unrecognised pillars of society have to offer.

I had an enjoyable experience yesterday here on our farm that is struggling to get back to normal after the devastating Cyclone Gabriel floods.

I had asked a local trucking firm to deliver some posts and fertiliser we will use in the rehabilitation process that is taking place to a greater or lesser degree on virtually every farm in the local Uawa district.

My Maori neighbours are facing a clean-up bill of at least $1 million dollars on just one property and my guess is that most of the repair funds will have to come from their own financial resources.

Most properties have been offered a max of $10,000 by way of government assistance. At that rate, it will take the hardest hit ones years to get back to operating as usual.

For many it will be “walk off” time.

Back to my hero of the week.

The driver arrived with a truck fitted out with attachment mechanical extras - including a “hi-ab” that would allow it to complete our job in conditions that would normally cause a basic unit to fail.

As soon as he jumped out of the cab and surveyed the site looking for hazards that would limit his ability to dispatch his load, l knew that this (relatively speaking) young man had skills to burn when operating his machine.

When he finished, l was moved to discuss his employment situation with him given that he appeared to be satisfied with the terms and conditions offered by the company he worked for.

Having used his family-owned trucking company on countless times during our 43 years running our farming business here on the East Coast, l wasn’t surprised to hear his comments about why he remained loyal to his employer.

It comes down to the things l have tried to identify as the factors that, if implemented on a nation-wide scale, would transform our failing economies into something that could lead us to the promised land.

They are the simple things that would make a real difference to the work force and as an extension, the nation’s coffers as well.

We ignore them at our peril.

Basic things like:

1.  recognition of skills even at the most basic level of employment;
2.  recognition through salary increases for loyalty and years of service;
3.  an acknowledgement and awareness that there are limits to what should be expected from people being asked to go the extra mile during daily operations - perhaps incentives that would make the difference as to whether the job is done well or finished with the bare minimum of effort;
4. a recognition that each employee is a human being with family considerations that need to be addressed by management in a way that makes employees feel they are valued.

Those are just a few that are basic to the successful operation of any business.

It is the workers who will ultimately determine the success or failure of companies - not so much the pointy heads who think they have all the answers.

Our future will depend as much as anything on whether we consult and listen to those who are being asked to drag us out of the mire once more.

If we don’t do that history will mark us down as another failed generation who were unable to recognise the power of working together towards a common goal.

The current “Them and Us” mentality is limiting our growth towards future prosperity for all. It has to go!

It shouldn’t be that hard but we seem to be struggling in areas that should be “no brainers”.

A change at the top would help but unfortunately, the signs are there that indicate we will exchange one ignorant dullard for another of the same philosophical bent.

That will not do. Perhaps it is time for a revolution.

Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.